Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey

T20 WC 2021 Final: NZ vs AUS Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AUS vs NZ Dream11 Prediction Today | New Zealand vs Australia Key Players | Dubai Pitch Report

After 44 matches, it all comes down to this. Incredibly, and unpredictably, no Asian team will be contesting the T20 World Cup 2021 Title, as Australia and New Zealand are the last two standing.

Australia are a different beast in World Cups, as they came into this tournament on the back of five straight T20I series defeats. One of them included a 3-2 defeat in New Zealand, headlined by inconsistent batting particularly in the middle order. However, in addition to player relationships with coach Justin Langer, Australia have managed to turn around the weakness of positions 5-7 in their T20I team, with Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade producing a run chase for the ages against Pakistan.

So, can Australia’s batting withstand another test, this time against the efficiency and consistency of New Zealand’s attack? The Black Caps have been outstanding once again at a global tournament, and will be looking to further enhance their status as the world’s best all-format team after reaching the 2019 ODI World Cup Final and winning the World Test Championship Final earlier this year.

Yes, one wonders whether the match itself will be decided 30 minutes before play, but as the Semi Finals showed, the team batting first is still very much in the game and can win provided they hold their nerve in the final overs. England and Pakistan weren’t able to, so both Australia and New Zealand will be aiming to ensure they can if they need to bat first. And, of course, there is the pressure of runs in a big Final, as CSK showed last month.

This trans-tasman rivalry has a new chapter, and this has the makings of a beauty.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

New Zealand:

• Martin Guptill to deliver the goods here? He has the most runs in NZ-AUS T20Is with 435 in 12 matches at an average of 36.25 and strike rate of 152.10. Also, Guptill scored the most runs in the five-match T20I series vs Australia earlier this year (218 runs, avg. 43.60, SR 159.12, 2 50s).
• What a knock Daryl Mitchell played against New Zealand. The right-hander was player of the match for his superb 72* off 47 balls. Can he produce something similar here?
• Kane Williamson has a poor record against Australia. The skipper has scored just 124 runs in nine matches against them at an average of 13.78 and strike rate of 104.20.
• But, a player of Williamson’s class has the ability to turn this around. He enjoys batting at Dubai, with 376 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.78 and strike rate of 120.90.
• Watch out for James Neesham. The 2019 ODI World Cup Final hurt him deeply, and his reaction to the victory vs England shows he means business. His 74 runs against Australia come at an average of 24.67 and strike rate of 200.00.
• Ish Sodhi has taken the most wickets in NZ-AUS T20Is (16). These wickets come at an average of 15.69 and economy rate of 7.38. Plus, he has taken at least one wicket in each game in this tournament, including 2/17 and 2/42 at Dubai.
• Trent Boult has taken the fourth-most wickets in this tournament (11) at an average of 14.09 and economy rate of 6.54. He has 10 wickets in eight matches vs Australia (avg. 22.70, econ. 7.87), and his battle with Finch will be key.

Australia:

• David Warner is back in fine form. And he looked good for more than his 40 vs Pakistan as a result of his non-review. He has scored the fourth-most runs in this T20 World Cup with 236 runs at an average of 47.20 and strike rate of 148.42.
• Warner will be seeking to improve his record vs New Zealand. He has scored 158 runs in seven matches against them at an average of 22.57 and strike rate of 156.44. However, he enjoys batting at Dubai, with 669 runs in 15 innings at an average of 39.35 and strike rate of 137.09.
• Aaron Finch has a fine record against New Zealand. He has the most runs of any Australian player against them (251) at a terrific average of 62.75 and strike rate of 144.25.
• His issue against left-arm seam will be in the spotlight today against Boult. In all T20s, Finch has been dismissed 11 times by left-arm pace at an average of 17.18. But, he has never been dismissed by Boult in T20 Internationals, scoring 42 off 28 balls in the process.
• Mitchell Marsh played a key role in settling Aussie nerves after a great over by Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Semi Final. He has scored 52 and 28 in his last two matches, as well as 550 runs in T20Is this year at an average of 32.35 and strike rate of 127.02.
• Can Glenn Maxwell make an impact? He has been quiet with the bat in this tournament, but he did score three fifties in as many matches on this ground in the recent IPL. He has a solid record vs New Zealand, with 206 runs in nine matches at an average of 29.43 and strike rate of 157.25.
• Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade have been terrific in the finishing department. They led Australia home in a tight match vs South Africa earlier in the tournament and then again in brilliant fashion against Pakistan.
• Adam Zampa has been simply brilliant in this tournament. He has gone for more than a run-a-ball in only one match (vs England), taking a total of 12 wickets at an average of 10.91 and economy of 5.69. He has taken 11 wickets in seven matches at Dubai (econ. 7).

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 14, Australia 9, New Zealand 5.
• New Zealand beat Australia 3-2 earlier this year, albeit against a different looking Australia side.
• Tim Southee has historically struggled against Australia. His nine wickets against them cost 37.22 runs apiece and his economy rate is a high 9.44. But, he has been brilliant in this tournament, with eight scalps at an economy of just 5.75.
• Mitchell Starc has never played a T20I vs New Zealand. Neither have Cummins and Hazlewood. Starc will be key in both the powerplay and death overs (nine wickets in the tournament at an average of 20.88 and economy rate of 8.17). We all remember his first over in the 2015 ODI World Cup Final – can he repeat something similar here?
• Spinners have taken 43 wickets at an average of 16.28 and economy rate of 5.91 between overs 7-15 at Dubai in this tournament. Watch out for Zampa, Sodhi and Santner in this period. Santner himself has nine wickets in seven T20Is vs Australia at an average of 19.56 and economy rate of 6.99.
• David Warner is the only Australian batsman striking at over 100 vs spin (156.76) in this tournament.

Possible Playing 11

In a big blow to New Zealand, Devon Conway is out of the match with a broken hand. Tim Seifert is likeliest to replace him, but that potentially leaves New Zealand with five right-handers in the top five.

Seifert had a shocker of a series against Australia earlier this year (27 runs, avg. 6.75), but he remains a danger player.

New Zealand: 1. Martin Guptill, 2. Daryl Mitchell, 3. Kane Williamson (c), 4. Tim Seifert (wk), 5. Glenn Phillips, 6. James Neesham, 7. Mitchell Santner, 8. Tim Southee, 9. Adam Milne, 10. Trent Boult, 11. Ish Sodhi

Australia have the option of bringing Ashton Agar in, but they are likely to stay unchanged.

Australia: 1. David Warner, 2. Aaron Finch (c), 3. Mitchell Marsh, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Glenn Maxwell, 6. Marcus Stoinis, 7. Matthew Wade (wk), 8. Pat Cummins, 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Adam Zampa, 11. Josh Hazlewood

Dubai Pitch Report and Weather

The difference between batting first and second in night matches at Dubai is quite incredible:

• The chasing team has won all nine night matches in this tournament
• Pacers have taken 17 wickets at an average of 12.94, strike rate of 13.4 and economy rate of 5.79 in the powerplay when bowling first in night matches. Bowling second, pacers have taken just four wickets at an average of 79.50, strike rate of 49.50 and economy rate of 9.64 in the powerplay.

No doubt, the captain who wins the toss will choose to chase.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Tim Seifert
• Batsmen: Daryl Mitchell, David Warner
• All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham
• Bowlers: Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Adam Zampa

Match Prediction

Promises to be a cracker. New Zealand, given their incredible efficiency and calmness, start as favourites. But, whoever bats first needs to get 170-180 to feel competitive and give themselves the best chance.